Personnel and cargo are frequently transported in aircraft of various types. For example, some aircraft are configured to carry passengers, while others are configured to carry cargo. Still other aircraft (e.g., a “combi” aircraft) are configured to carry some combination of passengers and cargo in the same aircraft cabin. In all of these aircraft, the payload article is generally secured to a load supporting surface, such as a reinforced floor structure, by removable fittings coupled to the payload article that engage longitudinal tracks mounted on or within the load supporting surface. Accordingly, the payload article, which may include an aircraft seat, a cargo pallet, or other payload containers or devices, may be suitably positioned on a desired portion of the load supporting surface and then secured in the selected position by fixably engaging the fittings in the longitudinal tracks.
The installation and removal of the payload article generally requires the use of one or more hand tools to respectively tension and release the fittings coupling the fitting to the track. As a consequence, in cases where a large number of fittings must be installed or removed, a relatively large amount of time must be devoted to individually tension or release the fittings. For example, when the payload article is a passenger seat in a commercial aircraft, the seat must be properly positioned and located in the tracks so that a desired seat pitch is obtained. The seat is then fixedly coupled to the track using hand tools, such as socket wrenches. Consequently, approximately twenty minutes is required to properly install or remove the seat. Thus, several man-hours are typically required to install or remove only a portion of the seats presently available in a typical commercial passenger aircraft.
There presently exists a need in the art for a fitting that may be removably coupled to a track in a load supporting structure so that a payload article may be quickly and conveniently engaged and disengaged from the track.